Red, White, Do's and Dont's 

How to protect your vision from fireworks

It’s that time of year. Nothing seems more magical than bursts of color in the night sky. While fireworks are beautiful and awe-inspiring, they are also highly dangerous and should be solely left to the professionals.

Last year there were 12,900 reported firework injuries. When we think of firework injuries, we immediately think of hands, but 14% of those injuries were eye related.

Again, fireworks are best left to professionals, but when you do make that jaunt just outside of town to procure your pyrotechnics, please keep safety in mind. The biggest sleeper culprit of injuries is Sparklers.

They seem so harmless and we’ve all seen little kids carelessly running around with them, but Sparklers are the number one product that lands people in the emergency room.

They burn incredibly hot and as their name suggests, they sparkle, which lends a lot of opportunity to getting a hot “sparkle” in the eye.

 

If you do find yourself in an eye emergency remember these few things:

 

• Do not rub or apply pressure to your eye.
• Do not try to find or retrieve an object from your eye.
• Do not take any pain medications that could thin your blood, as in Ibuprofen.
• Seek care from you local optometrist immediately.

 

Fireworks are fun and they signal the real start of summer. Talk with your little ones about firework safety before festivities. Make sure they understand the risks and how to minimize them. Be vigilant and be safe, but most of all, have a fantastic summer!